Somalia: Somaliland Leader Meets Israeli Defence Minister As Both Sides Signal Deeper Security Ties

Jerusalem — Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Israel and Somaliland had cooperated for years on a series of undisclosed operations, as he hosted Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro for talks focused on expanding security cooperation.

Speaking alongside Irro, Katz said the two sides had conducted "a series of secret operations" over several years but declined to provide details about the nature of the activities, where they took place, or their objectives.

Katz said Israel and Somaliland were now working to broaden their security partnership and strengthen cooperation, though he did not elaborate on specific projects or agreements under discussion.

The meeting comes amid growing contacts between Israel and Somaliland, a self-declared republic in northern Somalia that is not internationally recognized as an independent state.

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Analysts say Israel's interest in Somaliland is largely driven by the territory's strategic location along the Gulf of Aden and near the Bab al-Mandab strait, one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.

Enhanced ties could potentially include cooperation on maritime security, intelligence sharing and border surveillance technologies, although neither side publicly confirmed the scope of any future initiatives.

Irro's visit, during which he was reportedly honoured with a "Friends of Zion Award," has drawn attention to what observers describe as an emerging diplomatic and security relationship between Israel and Somaliland at a time of heightened geopolitical competition in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.

Neither side announced any formal agreements following the meeting, and details of the previously referenced covert cooperation remain undisclosed.